Zeng Xuelin

Zeng Xuelin (Chinese: 曾雪麟; 2 December 1929 – 11 February 2016) was a Thailand-born Chinese football manager and former player. As a player he was predominantly remembered for his time at Bayi Football Team and Tianjin, however it was in management where he distinguish himself by having successful reigns at Tianjin and Beijing where he won several league titles before managing the Chinese national football team. After leaving the Chinese national team he would mainly move away from management except for a brief spell when he joined Shenzhen Ping'an on a caretaker bases.

Playing career

While Zeng Xuelin was born in Siam (now Thailand), he would move back with his family to China and settled in Meixian in the Guangdong Province at the age of seven. After finishing high school, he would join the Chinese People's Liberation Army and play for the Guangzhou Army team where he played amateur football in the regional leagues before going to University where he played for the Southwest Military Region football team while he was studying.^[1] As part of the Liberation Army he would selected for their top football club Bayi Football Team and study football in Hungary. When his time ended with Bayi, he was selected to be a part of China national white team(as Chinese B national team), this team was allowed to participant the league game during that time. In 1957, the White Team had moved to Tianjin, and eventually became Tianjin F.C., he was the team captain for 2 seasons, and helped the team to won second place of the first Chinese National Games in 1959 before he officially retired.

Managerial career

Before he retired from Tianjin he would become the player/coach in February 1959, and officially became the team manager in 1960, where he achieved considerable success early within his reign when he won the 1960 Chinese Jia-A League league title and Chinese FA Cup in the same year.^[2] He would make sure that the club were constant title contenders throughout his reign despite seeing the Cultural Revolution severely stunting the teams development. Nevertheless, despite there not being any major tournaments held within China the club held on to Zeng when they also made him a consultant within the club. This lasted until 1972 when Beijing football club offered him the youth coach position before he would soon take over the senior side. Once again Zeng would be quick to achieve success when he won the 1973 league title in his first season.^[3] He would continue to make Beijing constant title contenders throughout his reign, which lasted close to ten years and despite not adding more silverware towards the club he would make sure his regin at the club would end on a high when the club won the 1982 league title before taking the Chinese national football team management position.^[4] With the national team he would make sure the team easily qualified for the 1984 AFC Asian Cup where he would lead the team to a runners-up position within the tournament. After a successful campaign the Chinese public were expecting more from the national team and after a good start in qualification for the 1986 FIFA World Cup the Chinese team were unexpected knocked out from qualification when they lost to Hong Kong who beat them 2-1 on March 19, 1985 in a game that would see Zeng fired.^[5]

Death

On 11 February 2016, Zeng died at his home in Shenzhen, aged 86.^[6]

Honours

As a manager

Tianjin

• Chinese Jia-A League: 1960

Beijing

• Chinese Jia-A League: 1973, 1982

References

External links

• Profile at Sodasoccer.com